Does the body ever just simply shut down for no pinpoint reason upon old age, or is there always a reason, such as cancer, heart diease, or the like?
There is always a proximate cause of death, which is what is put on the death certificate. But quite often in extremely elderly people (as well as many chronically ill), death comes as a result of one final “straw that broke the camel’s back” added to a variety of complaints, each requiring extra effort to overcome and thus “sapping the strength” to the point that other problems become more difficult to resist or overcome.
Certainly, but ultimately the body gives up at cardiac arrest or respiratory failure, which may be brought on by many reasons. For very old people, pneumonia is commonly cited as the cause of death. I’ve read too many death certificates!